CANYON LAKE — Inspired by public art installations in other Texas cities depicting beer steins, longhorns and dolphins, a new artisan group here is hoping to attract tourists with dinosaurs.

The first in a series of custom-crafted dinosaur egg sculptures planned for display around this Comal County community will be unveiled Saturday at the Tye Preston Memorial Library, 16311 S. Access Road.

The piece, called “Thesaurus,” features an infant dinosaur offering a book through the cracked shell of its large egg, which sits atop other eggs and books in its nest.

“The dinosaur has advanced knowledge and he's been trying to share it forever, and we're just catching on,” artist Sherry Gansle, 67, said of her creation, which took a year to make.

She initiated the drive for artworks emphasizing the trove of fossils found around this lakeside town, including the roughly 350 dinosaur tracks — but no eggs — at The Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country.

The marketing plan also includes making better local use of the many talented artists who live there but routinely display their works in Wimberley, Gruene and elsewhere.

Farrell joined forces this summer with the Canyon Lake Art Guild and others to create a new group called Artisan Community of Canyon Lake.

Its first initiative is “Egg-stravaganza,” in which businesses and civic groups commission individualized eggs from local artists.

Librarian Roxanna Deane is thrilled to host the first egg sculpture, which Gansle donated to the facility.

“Our egg is spectacular,” said Deane, 66, who helped organize the artisan group. “We'd love to see 50 to 100 eggs at the businesses and public places around the lake.”

The museum is among about 20 entities that have already expressed an interest in having an egg sculpture.

“We haven't decided on the shape or the color yet,” said Everett Deschner, a member of the museum board. “This will not be a realistic or anatomically correct egg but will represent the idea of one.”

Also commissioning an egg is The Gorge Preservation Society, which hosts tours of a canyon cut by Guadalupe River flooding in 2002, which exposed more dinosaur tracks.

“We're real excited about it,” said Jaynellen Ladd, a natural resource specialist with the group. “I think it's going to tie us together as a community and help with our mission of educating the kids.”

Area residents also voiced support.

“It's a clever idea,” said Margaret Citzler, 77. “Our dinosaurs are out here and they need to show them off.”

The first installation got a thumbs up from Payton Scott, 4, who got a sneak peak during a library visit Friday.

“I think I see his head behind the book,” she said of the dinosaur. “He's trying to give somebody a book.”

Her mom, Alisha Scott, called the egg project “a neat idea” and said, “I've never been to the dinosaur museum. It might inspire more people to go.”

Artist Betty Smith is already exploring egg designs.

“I've done three already and I'm very pleased with them,” said Smith, 82.